Today, I'm excited to be re-featuring cozy mystery author Laura Childs on my blog as part of a blog tour for her new book Egg Shooters.
Book: Egg Shooters
(Book 9 in the Cackleberry Club Mystery)
Author: Laura Childs
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Publisher: Berkley
Publication date: 26 January 2021
Hardcover: 304 pages
ISBN-10: 0425281744
ISBN-13: 978-0425281741
Kindle ASIN: B085BVYLKY
Synopsis:
A murder in the local hospital is raising everyone's
temperature in the latest book in the New York Times bestselling Cackleberry
Club series.
Suzanne Dietz co-owner of the Cackleberry Club Café is
visiting her fiancée, Dr. Sam Hazelet when a masked gunman bursts into the
emergency room. He shoots two people and would probably have done more damage
had Suzanne not brained him with a thermos full of chili. Still, the gunman
manages to escape.
Now the ladies of the Cackleberry Club are determined to
find the killer before he finds them.
Book Review of Egg Shooters
"Whoever this maniac is, he's been leading us on
a merry chase. And he seems to be enjoying it enormously."
Egg Shooters by Laura Childs is the ninth book in The Cackleberry
Club Mystery Series. And WOW! What a ride!
I've
always wanted to read Laura Childs' books and got to interview
her in 2019 for her then-new-book Broken Bone China. Then in 2020, I
got a glimpse of her writing – and stunning teas and desserts in Lavender
Blue Murder.
Since
then, I've been curious about The Cackleberry Club books. And what a
read! I loved the mystery, characters, settings, and let's not get to the
mouth-watering delicacies Petra can make!
Egg
Shooters opens with action from the first chapter. Suzanne Dietz, co-owner of
The Cackleberry Club Café is visiting her fiancé, an ER doctor, and bringing
him some late lunch. While she's talking to the receptionist, a gunman comes
in, shoots a security guard, the receptionist, and is hit on the head with
Suzanne's thermos of hot chili.
"What's our own Nancy Drew gonna do about these
robberies? You're the one with the head for crime solving. You've got the
sharpest instincts in town, though Doogie would die a slow death if he ever
heard me say that."
Suzanne is a lot of things but curious and creative top the list. Especially when it comes to defending herself and others.
So
the book opens with a murder, a theft, and luckily the receptionist lives. But at
the same time, truck hijacking is plaguing the small town of Kindred.
After the shootout, Suzanne's curiosity is piqued, and of course, a few townsfolk ask her to investigate. They know that her skills top the Sheriff Doogie's and deep down the Sheriff knows he could use a helping hand. But never admits it.
The
Cackleberry Club is comprised of three co-owners: Suzanne, Toni, and Petra. Each
has their quirks but Toni is by far the funniest!
"Petra was the social conscience of the
Cackleberry Club, while Toni served as court jester, and Suzanne was CEO,
marketing guru, and chief problem solver."
The
mystery in Egg Shooters kept me glued to the book. I couldn't put it
down. Not to mention Petra's mouth-watering dishes.
If
there's ever a café or restaurant like The Cackleberry Club, I'm saving to go
there.
I loved how the characters are both strong and deep in their own way, even Toni. I also liked how this cozy mystery shows the characters – in a way – trying to work with the police. Well – sort of.
Toni
offers a ton of humor in Egg Shooters, from hilarious comments, her
endless to-and-fro with her no-good-soon-to-be-divorced-absolute-kid-brained
husband, to her antics and energy. Here's how she describes a new character who
walks into their café.
"Who's the Daddy Warbucks type sitting over there
with our diddly-squat-do-nothing mayor?"
The book also offers a number of recipes at the end of the book. Courtesy of the chef extraordinaire Petra.
I
also learnt a new word: Sesquicentennial – don't ask me how to pronounce
it because I failed but it means someone's or something 150th birthday – in
this case it was their town's celebration. (That was worth mentioning!)
Overall I loved the Cackleberry Club, Suzanne, Toni, and Petra along with the supporting characters. I just fell in love with this series and can't wait to read more books in it.
Overall rating for Egg Shooters by Laura Childs:
5 stars
Don't
forget to check out my exclusive
interview with Laura Childs and my 4-star book
review of Lavender Blue Murder.
About the Author:
Laura specializes in cozy
mysteries that have the pace of a thriller (a thrillzy!) Her three series are:
The Cackleberry Club Mysteries – set in Kindred, a
fictional town in the Midwest. In a rehabbed Spur station, Suzanne, Toni, and
Petra, three semi-desperate, forty-plus women have launched the Cackleberry
Club. Eggs are the morning specialty here and this cozy cafe even offers a book
nook and yarn shop. Business is good but murder could lead to the cafe’s
undoing! This series offers recipes, knitting, cake decorating, and a dash of
spirituality.
The Tea Shop Mysteries – set in the historic district
of Charleston and featuring Theodosia Browning, owner of the Indigo Tea Shop.
Theodosia is a savvy entrepreneur, and pet mom to service dog Earl Grey. She’s
also an intelligent, focused amateur sleuth who doesn’t rely on coincidences or
inept police work to solve crimes. This charming series is highly atmospheric
and rife with the history and mystery that is Charleston.
The Scrapbooking Mysteries – a slightly edgier series
that take place in New Orleans. The main character, Carmela, owns Memory Mine
scrapbooking shop in the French Quarter and is forever getting into trouble
with her friend, Ava, who owns the Juju Voodoo shop. New Orleans’ spooky
above-ground cemeteries, jazz clubs, bayous, and Mardi Gras madness make their
presence known here!
Connect with Laura Childs via her
Website and Facebook.
Purchase
Links: Amazon B&N Kobo
Google Play IndieBound
Keep up with the rest of the blog tour, including book reviews, spotlights, interviews, and guest posts via Escape with Dolly Cas.
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